Washing machine



1931- s E. SCHROEDER 1,819,341-

WASHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 20, 192i;

INVENT El R.

AZ ZZQ'N Y s" Patented Aug. 18, 1931 SIMON E. SCI-IROEDER, 0F NEWTON, IOWA AUTOMATIC WASHER COMPANY, OF NEWT ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE .ASSIGNMENTS, 'IO ON, IOWA, A CORPOIR-J-L'lION OF DELAWARE WASHING MACHINE Application filed January 20, 1928. Serial No. 248,053.

This invention relates to driving means for the water-agitating portions of a washing machine.

One of the objects of the invention is in the provision of a driving means for washing machines, including such connection with the source of power as to permit the engagement and disengagement of same with a minimum of jar or vibration.

Another object lies in the provision of a simple and eilicient operating connection between the rack bar drive for the agitating portion'of a washing machine, and the reciprocating portion connected with the source of power.

A further object lies in the provision of a connecting means between thesource of power and the agitating portions of a washing machine, said connecting means including an automatically operating power pickup or hook member which not only is controlled by the clutch member but permits the accomplishment of the clutching or unclutching operation with substantially no attendant jar. p

A still further object lies in the provision of driving mechanism for the agitating portions of a washing machine, the same in cluding an arrangement of parts which will result in the continuous oiling of the reciprocating and clutch portion.

Other objects will appear in the following specification taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail in plan of my rack bar drive and connecting means with the power drive;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, with portions thereof cut away for a more detailed showing of the manner of assembly of my drive with the power mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partially in section, further showing the arrangement of parts and the manner of assembly of my driving mechanism.

Before referring specifically to the drawings, it might be said that the applicant herein is well known in the art of washing machines and has devised a considerable number of washing machines, as well as parts and assemblies that are ordinarily used in the construction of same.

Applicant now directs attention to the driving means for the water-agitating portions of washing machines. He recognizes the fact that washing machines, and more particularly, the Water-agitating portions thereof, are practically all driven by rack bars or segment gears. He realizes that in the use of rack bar drives the clutching and unclutching of the rack bar with the power means is, in practically every instance, accomplished with an attendantjar. Also, the conventional manner of forcing a rack bar into engagement with the driven gear necessitates the use of heavy metal construction to take up the attendant jar and shock to the various parts.

Desiring to make use of the rack bar drive, but to get away from the attendant shock to the various parts, and the jar which attends the clutch portion, in the present instance he now utilizes the following niccha nism to accomplish the desired result.

In the drawings, applicant has not shown his washing machine structure. but it is apparent from a careful consideration of Fig. 3 that his drive is one ofthe so-callcd beneath-the-tub type, wherein the driving mechanism is disposed beneath the tub, the

connection with the water-agitating clement residing in the vertically disposed shaft which projects through the bottom center of the tub, and to which vertical shaft the water agitating element is attached in any manner desired.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, the bottom of the washing machine tub is shown at 10. Secured beneath the tub to either side of the washing machine, as. at 11 and 12, is a plate or driving support 13. This plate has an auxiliary portion 14 forming a lower bearing support 15 for the vertical drive shaft 16, which is not here shown as a whole, but actually projects through the bottom center of the tub. Secured, as at 17, to a point adjacent the lower end of the vertical drive shaft 16, is a driven gear 18. A rack bar is shown at 19, adapted to mesh with the before mentioned gear 18. The rack bar 19 is formed in the laminated manner shown in Fig. 3. and is made up of a series of metal and fibre strips, which latter may also be formed of a synthetic material or the like, it being desirable, however, that the material used should have considerable strength, but also soft enough as to assist, when used in a laminated manner with metal strips, of deadening-the sound which accompanies the driving connection of the rack 19 with the gear 18. The metal strips have been designated 20 and the intermediate fibre or other strips 21.

Means for securing the laminated strips together is shown at 22, as well as at the end points 23 and 24, only at these places the connecting means includes downwardly projecting lower lug portions 25 and 26, these lug portions being rectangular in shape and formed to engage in a close but slidable manner a rack guideway shown at 27. This guideway for the rack is actually a depression in the plate 13, and formed therein at the same time that the plate is formed by a stamping operation.

The laminated rack is now meshed with the gear 18, the rack portion being guided in its movement by means of the portion 27 The power means for reciprocating the rack has been disclosed generally, but due to the conventionality of these power transmitting parts, have not been shown in their full power connection with an electric motor or other power transmitting mechanism. However, a worm gear 28 is shown secured to a stub shaft 29, also a worm 30 securely supported as at 31 in the gear housing 32. The worm shaft 33 is not shown connected to any power mechanism, although it is obvious that this might be done by direct connection or through a pulley and belt. To the upper end of stub shaft 29, a crank 34 is secured and pivoted as at 35 to the pin 36 and projecting upwardly therefrom is a conventional pitman 37. The pitman is formed in a laminated manner, but all. of the strips are of steel rather than steel and fabric, for the obvious reason that there is no necessity in this instance of deadening the noise. The outer end of the pitman includes a pivotal connection 38 of the pitman 37 with the portion that forms a part of the connecting means between the pitman and the" rack. This connecting means includes an upper plate 39, a lower plate 40 and such connection between the upper and lower plates as to leave an opening 41 therebetween. This is accomplished by spacing the two plates 39 and 40 by means of the members 42 and 43, the portion 43 being the point upon which the pitman 37 pivots.

The above described connecting means also comprehends the use of lug portions 44 and 45 formed in exactly similar manner, to the before mentioned lugs 25 and 26, same also riding in the before mentioned guideway 27, thus insuring a guiding action of the connecting means pivoted to the reciprocating end of the pitman as well as to the rack bar.

There has now been described the rack bar and the pitman, which, when connected with the rack bar, accomplishes the reciprocation of same, and therefore the oscillation of gear 18 and the oscillation of the wateragitating member, whatever it may be.

The connection between the pitman and the rack bar is accomplished b means of what has been termed general y a clutch portion 46, pivoted at 47 to the rack bar. A hook portion 48 of the clutch member normally tends towards a, connected relationship of the hook 48 with the portion 41 upon the end which forms a part of the connecting means previously described, attached to the reciprocating end of the pitman 37. In other words, the hook 48 is always spring tensioned as at 49, towards a position where the hook 48 will project between the upper and lower plates 39 and 40 and engage the before mentioned member 44. The spring 49 is connected to the clutch portion 46 as at 50 and rides in a receiving portion 51 in the back of the rack bar 19.

It will be seen that unless restricted in its movement, the hook 48 will engage the reciprocating end of the rack bar and accomplish the connection between the rack bar and power means. It will also be noticed that the hook portion 48 is cam fashioned or, as a matter of fact, rounded to permit the member 44 to push the hook slightly aside in order to accomplish the hooking action. The clutching action is obviously accomplished automatically, but in order to accomplish disengagement of the rack bar with the pitman, we have a manually controlled clutch rod 52 capable of engaging the clutch member at the point 53 in a manner to move the clutch in such position that the hook 48 will not engage the reciprocating end of the pitman. This rod 52 is positioned in guides 54 and 55, and there is a manually controlled lever, not shown, for operating same to move the clutch 46 to a clutched or unclutched position.

As far as the operation of the driving mechanism is concerned, the same is thought obvious in view of the automatic connection of the hook portion of the clutch with the pitman when not restricted by the operation of the clutch control rod 52. Obviously, by manual movement of the clutch control rod 52, clutch member 46 may be held in such position that the hook 48 will not engage the reciprocating end of the pitman, and thus the pitman will continue its reciprocation without movement of the rack bar. However, whenever the member 52 is moved away from the clutch 46, the hook will move down into a position where it will be automatically engaged by the pitman upon its subsequent reciprocation in that direction.

It might be added that this manner of automatically picking up the rack bar is accomplished with a minimum of vibration and there is no movement of the rack bar into and out of engagement with the driven gear 18, which is the usual manner of accomplishing the clutching operation and which is always attended with a considerable jar. Similarly, the manner of guiding the rack bar and oscillating end of the pitman results in a quietly operating and efiicient drive.

It might also be added that, due to the fashioning of the guideway, a lubricant of a semi-liquid nature may be placed therein and will remain in said guideway practically during the life of the machine. It is obvious that even if this lubricant should be extracted, an additional amount might readily be placed in the guideway.

Attention is again called to the formation of the rack bar in a laminated manner, which greatly lessens the noise attending any moving and driving parts.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a driven gear, means for oscillating said gear including a rack bar, a guideway for said rack bar, downwardly projecting lug portions of the rack bar adapted to engage said guide, a pitman, power means for reciprocating same, connecting means pivoted to the reciprocating end of the pitman, guide means for the connecting member and a clutch member for accomplishing the connection between the rackbar and oscillating end of the pitman, including a memberpivoted to the rack bar and guided thereby, said member including a hook portion fashioned in a manner to be automatically caught by the oscillating end of the pitman when reciprocated, a spring tension member normally holding said hook member in a position to be engaged by the oscillating end of the pitman, and a manually controlled clutch bar fashioned in a manner, when desired, to overcome the tension of the spring member and hold the hook member out of engagement with the oscillating end means pivoted to the oscillating end of the pitman, said connecting means having downwardly projecting lugs also adapted to ride in the before mentioned guideway, a clutch connecting member pivoted to the rack bar and adapted to automatically connect the rack bar and pitman, said connecting member including a hook member capable of the before mentioned automatic connection of the pitman, a spring normally tending to force said hook into a position to accomplish the connection and a manually controlled clutch bar capable of moving the clutch member to a position where the hook portion is out of engagement with the oscillating end of the pitman.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driven gear, mechanism for oscillating said gear including a rack bar formed in a laminated manner, the laminations including a plurality of intermittently disposed metal and fabric strips, means for guiding the rack bar in its reciprocal movement including a guideway, downwardly projecting lugs on the rack adapted to engage said guideway, a pitman having a connecting member pivoted thereto in such manner as to permit same also to ride in the guideway and an automatically operating clutch member pivoted to the rack bar being adapted, unless manually restricted from automatic engagement with the pitman, to accomplish the connection between the oscillating end of the pitman and the rack bar.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driven gear, a rack bar meshing with said driven gear, said rack bar being formed in a laminated manner by a plurality of metal and fabric strips, a power driven pitman and an automatically operating clutch member pivoted to the rack bar in a manner to accomplish the connection between said rack bar and'pitman. and manually controlled means for holding the clutch member out of engagement with the oscillating end of'the pitman.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driven gear, a rack bar meshing wit-h said driven gear, a power driven pitman and a clutch member for accomplishing the connection between the rack bar and the oscillating end of the pitman,

including a member pivoted to the rack bar aml guided thereby, Silltl member ineluding a hook portion i'ashioneil in a manner to be caught by the oseillatin; eml of 5 the pitman when reeiproeateih a spring tension member normally holding Sillt'l hook member in a position to be engaged by the oscillating; end of the pitman, and a manually controlledeluteh bar fashioned in a manner when'desiretl. to overcome the tension of the spring member and hold the hook member out of engagement with the oscillating end of the rack bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

SIMON E. SCHROEDER. 

